Into the Shadows
by SwiftintheSky
Summary: What if Rusty never joined the Clans? Who would have stopped Tigerstar? Things may have turned out more differently than you would think. Sandpaw's POV, the first in a series. Covers Into the Wild.  -ABANDONED, MAY BE CONTINUED LATER-
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's my new story, _Into the Shadows_! It's the first in a series that raises the question... What would have happened if Rusty never joined the Clans? It's told from Sandpaw's point of view, and I have it all planned out so I'm very excited about this project. R&R please!**

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><p>Sandpaw was lying curled up beside Dustpaw in front of the apprentices' den. A moonbeam sliced through the camp, frosting her pale ginger, sand-colored fur. A soft purr rumbled in her throat; for once she had all her duties done and could relax for a little while, back-to-back with her best friend.<p>

The ferns at the entrance tunnel rustled, and her ears twitched as Bluestar, Lionheart, and Graypaw strode into camp. Sandpaw snorted in disgust. The long-furred tom had been made an apprentice just this sunrise; she didn't think he deserved it. His parents were freaks, after all; Willowpelt and Patchpelt were brother and sister, and to top it off, Patchpelt was an elder. Sandpaw was going to make it clear that the little gray freak's nest was not to be _anywhere_ near hers. Maybe he could sleep by Ravenpaw. The two seemed to have hit it off, which was fitting, considering the black apprentice was such a coward. He had started his apprenticeship _half a moon_ late, just because he was too scared to leave the nursery.

Her attention flicked back to the returning party, snapping out of her reverie. Bluestar was bounding off to converse with her father Redtail while, to her distaste, Graypaw was coming toward them. His yellow eyes shone as he dropped into a sitting position, scratching one furry ear with his hind paw. "Guess what I did today?" Graypaw boasted.

_ Chased your own tail?_ thought Sandpaw. "What?" she asked in a bored tone of voice.

He faltered slightly at her dismissive tone, but went on boldly, "I saw the whole territory. AND," here he puffed out his chest, "I chased out an _intruder._"

"What was it, a kittypet?" Sandpaw remarked snidely.

Graypaw's face fell, but only for a moment, confirming Sandpaw's suspicions. Then his face hardened with anger, his fluffy tail swirling around his paws. "What did you do all day? Run in circles? I'm off to find Ravenpaw."

"Good riddance," Sandpaw sniffed, while Dustpaw was silent.

"Sandpaw!" Sandpaw's ears perked up as she spotted her mother, Brindleface, bounding toward her. The pretty gray she-cat had sparkling green eyes, darker gray dapples and swirling black tabby stripes. She sat beside her daughter, tucking her paws neatly beneath her tail. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Sandpaw muttered, with a sideways glance at Dustpaw. She remembered, that, technically, Dustpaw was her _uncle_. Which seemed so totally wrong. But it was true; he was the younger brother of Brindleface and her sister, Frostfur.

"I'm a little concerned about Redtail going off to battle," Brindleface admitted. "But he always comes back fine. That's why he's deputy. But I can't help worrying about him every time, at least a little..." Sandpaw's gaze strayed to her father, finishing up his conversation with Lionheart. Her perfect, noble, intelligent father. Brindleface turned to Sandpaw now, looking wistful and a little bit sad. "I can't believe my kit is growing up. You've been an apprentice for three whole moons now, and you're growing bigger before my eyes." _Mom! Not in front of Dustpaw!_ the ginger she-cat was wailing inside. She glared mutinously at her mother and hoped the gray tabby would take a hint. "Sometimes I wish I could have another litter. But Redtail is so busy as deputy, and I just don't know..."

_Oh, StarClan, someone save me, _thought Sandpaw in humiliation. Dustpaw was stiff by her side. Then, StarClan seemed to answer her prayer, as Bluestar yowled loudly, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, join beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

Sandpaw jumped to her feet and scurried over to the Highrock with Dustpaw at her side. They settled into the crowd that soon flocked around them.

"ThunderClan," began Bluestar warmly, her muzzle curled into a smile. "RiverClan has occupied our rightfully owned Sunningrocks for far too long." Cats around Sandpaw, including Dustpaw, yowled agreement, and she added her voice to theirs. "Tonight, we will reclaim it! ThunderClan, Sunningrocks will soon be ours!" More yowls. "The battle party will travel to Sunningrocks tonight and win it for ThunderClan to keep. The cats going are..." She paused slightly, as if checking a mental list, "Redtail, Tigerclaw, Mousefur, Ravenpaw, Runningwind, and Willowpelt!"

_ What!_ Sandpaw thought, having to bite back a yelp. Ravenpaw _is going? He's a coward and what's more, he's only been training for two moons! What about _me?_ The deputy's_ daughter? She concluded her inner rant as ThunderClan caterwauled approval, and the chosen cats grouped together in front of the Highrock. Redtail looked confident; Tigerclaw's claws shredded the grass as though he couldn't wait to do the same to a RiverClan warrior. Ravenpaw the coward just looked nervous, and Runningwind shouldered him heartily with a reassuring mew. Willowpelt rubbed cheeks with Redtail, reminding Sandpaw all too much that she was her aunt. _Which means Graypaw is my cousin, I guess,_ she thought digustedly.

"Be safe!" Brindleface called as the battle party started to leave.

Sandpaw felt like she should say something, so she just yowled, "Shred those fishbreath warriors for me!"

"I will, and I will!" called Redtail amusedly, and then he vanished through the fern tunnel, his bushy ginger tail whisking out behind him.

Several minutes passed, before Dustpaw suggested, "Let's get some sleep."

"Sure," Sandpaw replied with a shrug. Envy still made a tight knot in her stomach as she walked with her best friend back to their nests. They curled up together, fur brushing.

The next morning, Sandpaw woke up early and nibbled drowsily on a mouse with Dustpaw. Both pests, Graypaw and Ravenpaw, were gone so they ate their meal in peace.

After a relaxing half-hour or so, Whitestorm and Darkstripe showed up and took their apprentices on a hunting patrol. Sandpaw caught two mice and a thrush; she was quite proud of herself as she carried them into camp. Sunhigh was nearing, and Sandpaw spotted Graypaw slinking through camp, looking disappointed. "Sandpaw!" Brindleface called, and bounded up to her daughter. "When do you think the battle patrol will be back? Oh, they're late..." she fretted.

At that very moment Ravenpaw tore across the clearing. His yellow eyes were wild with fear and one entire shoulder was slick with blood. Panting heavily, he scrambled onto the Highrock. He tried to catch his breath while blood pooled on the cold stone below.

Bluestar appeared from the nursery. "What is it?" she demanded.

He gasped, panted, and altogether managed to gather enough breath to shout, "Redtail is dead!"

Silence. Horrible silence. Then it hit her.

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><p>Sandpaw felt as though she had been whapped in the stomach by a badger. Suddenly the world swayed alarmingly around her, and she couldn't find her paws. <em>It has to be some sick prank, it has to be!<em> she thought fiercely.

Ravenpaw kept talking, but Sandpaw didn't hear him. There was a dull _thud_ and he was on the ground, eyes closed, Goldenflower bounding up to him and Spottedleaf and...

"Redtail!" Brindleface's grief-stricken wail tore into Sandpaw's mind. A wave of shock and grief hit her as Tigerclaw strode into the clearing, her father's limp body held in his powerful jaws. He laid Redtail on the ground, his pale amber eyes dull with sorrow.

"How did this happen, Tigerclaw?" Bluestar demanded.

"He died with honor, struck down by Oakheart," Tigerclaw rumbled. "I couldn't save him, but I managed to take Oakheart's life while he was still gloating over his victory. Redtail's death was not in vain, for I doubt we'll see RiverClan hunters in our territory again."

"No," Brindleface wailed. "Redtail, you can't leave me! We were going to have another litter, you can't go..." Suddenly she tore across the clearing and buried her face in Redtail's fluffy, bloodstained tortoiseshell fur. Other cats crept over to him: Patchpelt, Willowpelt, Spottedleaf, Dustpaw, Bluestar. Friends, family, apprentices... But Sandpaw couldn't move. She was rooted to the spot by shock and horror.

She was aware of Bluestar speaking, of other cats returning, but she stayed where she was, dazed, rooted to the spot by a whirlwind of shock and disbelief.

"Aren't you going to share tongues with Redtail?" Graypaw was beside her, blinking big amber eyes.

"Shut up, furball!" she snapped, and slid into her nest. _Just a nightmare. It has to be..._

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><p>When Sandpaw woke, light streamed into the den. She was alone. She crept into the clearing, and her light green eyes widened as she spotted Patchpelt, Rosetail, and Smallear carrying Redtail's body out of camp.<p>

"W-Wait!" she cried, bounding over to the group of elders. "I-I want to help."

Patchpelt Redtail's brother and Sandpaw's uncle, glanced at the others and nodded, amber eyes glimmering with sadness. Sandpaw nudged her way beneath one of Redtail's limply dangling legs and bit back a sob as his scent wreathed around her. _Oh, Dad, I didn't sit vigil for you! Now you're gone forever!_

They bore Redtail's body through the forest. Sunlight shone through the crisscrossing branches. Light and shadow dappled the forest, and strong, moss-covered trees towered around them. Purple flowers nodded at their bases, and bushes bloomed with newleaf's first flowers. It was pretty, and yet it shouldn't be, Sandpaw thought. The day should be gray and drizzling, the sun hidden by clouds. How dare the sun show its face when ThunderClan's greatest warrior had died?

They eventually reached ThunderClan's traditional burial place beneath the huge shading maples in the heart of the territory. She dug harder than any of the elders, putting her regret and sorrow into each scoop of soft, rain-weakened dirt. Earth turned beneath her paws, muddying and chipping her claws. Finally the grave had been dug.

_You were amazing, Dad..._ Sandpaw thought, and finally, though she was surrounded by others, she let the first tears fall. They streaked down her face, leaving salty tracks in her fur. _You were deputy, but you always had time for me... I was proud to have you as my father._ She helped Patchpelt lower Redtail into the ground. He lay there, limp and lifeless, his familiar scent reaching Sandpaw's nose one last time. Smallear sent the first shower of dirt over him, and Sandpaw glared fiercely at him even as more tears fell. She wanted him to stay aboveground forever. _I'd _kill _Oakheart, if he wasn't already dead!_

"I'm sorry, Dad," she whispered brokenly, and watched him disappear below the soil, forever.

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><p><strong>AN: Rather depressing, that was. Well, please review and tell me what you thought of it! ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, here's Chapter 2! Hope you guys like it! As for review replies...**

**sandflight2 - Thanks! Hope you like this one too.**

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><p>Sandpaw basically spent the rest of the day wandering aimlessly through the territory, moping and swearing her revenge and undying hate of RiverClan. At one point she laid beneath a bush for hours, grappling with the sorrow that threatened to crush her. No one bothered her, or came looking for her. Not even Brindleface. But the next day, Whitestorm and Darkstripe were outside the den to take her training. Wait... Whitestorm and <em>Darkstripe?<em> Then it dawned on her. "H-He's your new mentor?" she whispered to Dustpaw, flicking her tail to the latter warrior. Dustpaw nodded, his amber eyes dull, and slid out of the den with Sandpaw on his paws.

Whitestorm gazed at her with gentle yellow eyes and mewed, "Let's go."

Suddenly Sandpaw didn't want to spend a day out in the forest, working and training and learning like normal. It just didn't seem right. "W-Wait!" she blurted out. Whitestorm turned to her questioningly.

The words just tumbled out. "I-I promised Frostfur I would take care of her bedding." She was lucky that Frostfur had just poked her head out of the nursery, looking for someone. Probably her mate Lionheart, but nonetheless.

Darkstripe snorted, but Whitestorm's eyes softened and he nodded. Sandpaw had to restrain herself from hissing, _I don't want your pity!_

The remaining three cats left and Sandpaw was left sitting alone in the camp, her mind totally blank. She sighed and heaved herself to her paws; she'd better clean out that bedding, or someone (probably Darkstripe) would figure out she hadn't.

When Sandpaw entered the nursery, Frostfur was suckling her two little kits. Goldenflower had forced a squealing Swiftkit to let her wash him. And Speckletail, the Permanent Nursery Queen (or PNQ, as she and Dustpaw liked to call them), was dozing, her yellow eyes half-closed. "What is it, Sandpaw?" asked Frostfur drowsily.

"I've, er, come to change out your bedding," she mewed hastily.

y

"That's kind of you," Goldenflower yawned. "Come along now, Swiftkit, let's get out of their way."

"O-tay!" chirped Swiftkit in his cute little two-moon-old voice. He trotted after his mother as they exited the nursery.

Sandpaw lingered for a moment over Frostfur's tiny kits, no more than a moon old. Brackenkit was a golden-brown tabby so much like his father, Lionheart, and Cinderkit was dark gray and fluffy like her mother. So sweet and innocent. So unknowing of the great warrior whom had died only two days ago.

She started scooping Goldenflower's moss into a rough, lopsided ball, which she then dragged out of the nursery. She left it in a heap outside the thornbush, meaning to pick it up later and dispose of it in the forest. As she returned for Speckletail's nest, Frostfur sighed quietly. "The kits were screechin gwhen they brought Redtail back." Sandpaw's moss suddenly tore into the moss she had been carefully gathering. _So it's all about _them_, is it?_ "I'm very sorry for your loss, Sandpaw."

She wanted to screech. _Pity is even worse!_ She leaped suddenly to her paws, unable to stay in the nursery a moment longer. "I'm going to get some new moss!" she burst out, barely concealing her angerm and raced out of the camp like her paws were on fire. She ran blindly, tears blurring her vision although she fought them back. Finally her legs burned and her lungs screamed for air. Finally she stumbled to a stop, her sides heaving. When the world came into focus, she let out a furious hiss.

She was at the Sunningrocks. Which were now RiverClan's.

Suddenly she knew exactly what she was going to do. She was going to march straight into RiverClan territory and make them pay for what they had done.

She strode up to the riverbank in search of the steppingstones. The river had swelled with newleaf rain, and cold dark water lapped at the muddy shore. Finally she located the smooth, dew-sprayed stones, peeking out from the current. Smaller, but there. Just as she leaped onto the first steppingstone, a voice called out from behind her, making her fur bristle. "What are you doing?"

It was Dustpaw, his inquisitive tabby-striped face framed by dew-freckled ferns.

"Where are Whitestorm and Darkstripe?" asked Sandpaw warily.

He flicked his ear. "Whitestorm joined a hunting patrol. Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw came to train with us, and my brother was getting _really_ annoying, what with his hurt shoulder and all, so I told Darkstripe I had to make dirt." He leveled his amber gaze with hers. "Now tell me, Sandpaw, what are you doing?"

Sandpaw huffed in annoyance, but she pretty much _had_ to tell him now, even if she didn't want him poking into her personal business. "Fine, Dustpaw. I'm going to RiverClan territory so I can make them _pay_ for what they did to my father." A snarl entered her voice in the last few words.

Dustpaw's ears pricked, his eyes widening. Then a look of stubbornness set onto his face and he mewed, "I'm coming, too."

_I knew it!_ thought Sandpaw sourly. "No, Dustpaw. It's personal." She could barely conceal her annoyance.

"Redtail was my mentor, you know," the brown apprentice pointed out stubbornly. "And Darkstripe will come looking for me soon. He'll see. In fact, he's probably on his way right now." He cocked his head to one side, as if hearing Darkstripe's approaching pawsteps at that very moment.

"Fine," she sighed. _Guess I can't get rid of him._ "Come on."

They crossed the steppingstones as quickly as they were able. The smallish gray rocks were dark with wetness, and Sandpaw kept her claws out the whole way, searching for purchase on the smooth stone. She stumbled once, but was quickly helped up by Dustpaw. As soon as they touched the opposite bank, the pair dove into a clump of ferns.

Sandpaw felt a tingle of excitement at being on enemy territory, and Dustpaw's eyes were bright with exhilaration as he asked, "So what now?"

"Um..." Sandpaw hadn't actually thought that far ahead. "We attack the next patrol that comes along." Dustpaw nodded determinedly, and the two crouched low in the damp ferns.

Turns out they didn't have to wait long, as soon a RiverClan patrol neared, their voices loud and confident... having no idea they were about to be ambushed. "We totally _destroyed_ ThunderClan in that battle a couple days ago," a gray apprentice boasted.

"We should go rest on them now," the other apprentice, a tortoiseshell she-cat, purred.

"Yes, but we lost Oakheart in that battle," a pretty silver tabby chided. "And this is a _border_ patrol, not a relaxation patrol!" The two apprentices muttered muffled "yes, Silverstream"s.

Sandpaw flicked her tail to Dustpaw, and they exploded out of the ferns with loud battle cries. The three RiverClan cats shrieked in surprise as the ThunderClan apprentices descended upon them. Sandpaw landed on he tortoiseshell apprentice - Sandpaw recognized her as Mosspaw, from Gatherings - and battered her shoulders with thorn-sharp claws. Filled with adrenaline, she ricocheted off of Mosspaw and knocked the gray tom to the ground, pinning him. "For Redtail!" she yowled, and sank her teeth deep into his shoulder.

"Heavypaw!" cried Silverstream. She wrenched herself from Dustpaw and knocked Sandpaw aside, pinning the pale tabby easily. Sandpaw screeched as the silver tabby raked her belly, but Sandpaw lunged and bit the warrior's foreleg. While Silverstream was distracted, she pulled herself away and escaped.

As Dustpaw sent Mosspaw wailing into the bushes, Sandpaw leaped back to Heavypaw and swiped her claws down his side. Thrills ran through her. She was alive and happy and _aware_, avenging her father, making things right in the world once more.

"Come on, Sandpaw, we've done enough!" Dustpaw yowled, grappling with Silverstream.

"No! Not now! We can't stop now!" she roared as she dodged Heavypaw's swipe.

Suddenly a hefty paw knocked her to the ground. Then fresh RiverClan warriors were swarming around them, a proud-looking Mosspaw standing beaming among her Clanmates. In seconds, they surrounded the two ThunderClan apprentices, making a tight, intimidating ring. Their claws were unsheathed, their fangs flashing.

"Wh-What happens now?" Dustpaw stammered, pressed up to Sandpaw, his tail bushed out.

A spotted golden she-cat stepped forward, narrowing venomous amber eyes. "Now," she growled acidly, "We take you to our camp."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Whew! Sorry I accidentally dropped out on you guys! Believe it or not, it's actually _harder_ for me to update during breaks. I tried to remember, but... yeah... it didn't work out so well. So, yeah! If any of my readers are still interested in this story, here's the next chapter! From now on _Into the Shadows_ will update every three days. :3 And now, review replies.**

**Im the Nights Shadow - I have, now! Sorry it took so long. :P**

**Paleberry - Thanks! I hope your patience has been rewarded.**

**zestia240 - Haha, thanks. I hope I'm writing the characters well; I'll try not to make them go OOC if I can.**

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><p>Sandpaw steeled herself against the other cats' hostile glares as they entered the RiverClan camp. The dappled golden she-cat stepped forward with an air of authority. "Crookedstar," she called, "These young intruders attacked a patrol." She shot a vicious glare at the captive ThunderClan cats as she said this.<p>

A magnificent brown tabby tom, whom Sandpaw recognized as Crookedstar from the Gatherings, strode forward from the fresh-kill pile. _Mostly fish,_ Sandpaw noted in disgust. Even when she was scared out of her mind, she still had the spirit to make snide remarks to herself. Go figure. Crookedstar looked them over, and her gaze dropped to her paws. "Oh, really?" he mewed, more of a statement than a question.

Suddenly, Sandpaw felt a need to defend herself. At least to her, her actions had been perfectly reasonable; and though she didn't expect to win the RiverClan leader over, she could at justify herself. "Your Clan killed my father!" she accused. "Oakheart did."

Crookedstar's gaze darkened as he heard the name. "_Who_ did Oakheart kill?"

Dustpaw nudged her hard with his shoulder, and Sandpaw remembered all too quickly that Oakheart had been Crookedstar's brother. But she couldn't back out, so she bravely declared, "Redtail! He killed Redtail."

Crookedstar looked a bit confused at Sandpaw's accusation, replying in puzzlement, "Oakheart did not kill Redtail."

"What should we _do_ with the prisoners?" the golden she-cat broke in, hissing.

The leader sighed. "Escort them to the prisoners' den, Leopardfur."

"What?" Dustpaw and Sandpaw cried out simultaneously. But Leopardfur was already nudging them roughly toward a strange den of tightly woven reeds. She shoved them in with a hearty push and flicked her tail to Silverstream.

"Guard them," she commanded shortly. Silverstream nodded, moving forward to block the entrance. Sandpaw's heart sank. All her instincts begged for her to bowl over Silverstream and race out of the camp, fighting their way home if necessary. But she knew that would only result in more awfulness; she would be injured and dragged back to the den, might have to go to their medicine cat, they would post more guards, and just general mayhem. So she just let out a heavy sigh that came from the innermost parts of her body, and laid her head on her paws.

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><p>The day dragged on; it was mostly spent by Sandpaw staring mutinously at her paws and repeating over and over again in her mind, <em>I hate RiverClan, I hate RiverClan, I hate RiverClan.<em> Eventually, a pale brown tabby came over and relieved Silverstream of her watch, tossing the ThunderClan apprentices a small fish as she did so.

Sandpaw glared disgustedly at it, instead choosing to snarl, "What do you plan to do with us?"

The tabby flicked her sleek brown tail. "I dunno, keep you awhile, see how much ThunderClan wants you back." Her muzzle split into a lopsided grin. "You were asking for it, you know, ambushing a patrol like that!"

_It's not funny!_ Sandpaw wanted to wail. She nudged Dustpaw; he only sat rigid, and shot a fierce glare at his companion at her touch. _Great, now he's blaming me,_ Sandpaw thought furiously. He's _the one who begged me to let him tag along!_

After several minutes of tension-filled silence, the RiverClan warrior - who did not seem to be disturbed by the negative atmosphere - poked the fish with a paw and mewed, "Ya gonna eat that?"

Sandpaw shook her head tightly, and watched in disgusted silence as the guard wolfed down what would have been their meal. Just as she took her last bite, a little voice peeped, "Sedgecweek, Sedgecweek!"

"What is it Dawnkit?" the tabby (apparently Sedgecreek) purred fondly.

"Awe theiw weally FundowClan cats hewe?" A pale gray head popped into the den, the bright blue eyes set into it widening into round sky-colored globes. "Whoa, thewe awe!" she crowed. She scrambled past Sedgecreek and danced around the two apprentices, resembling, Sandpaw thought, a small, hyperactive squirrel.

Then Dawnkit paused, completely still, sniffing quietly. Her little black nose wrinkled up as she remarked, matter-of-factly, "You smell funny."

"No, you do," Sandpaw snarled. The little gray kit, startled, whimpered and dashed to hide behind Sedgecreek.

"Yeah," Dustpaw echoed, surprising Sandpaw, but when she glanced up at him he wouldn't meet her eye.

Sedgecreek wasn't pleased by their response. "Be nice, she's just a kit," the female guard responded with a glare.

_And I'm just an apprentice!_ Sandpaw wanted to yowl, but she kept it to herself.

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><p>The two captive apprentices spent a long, fitful night in the den. Sandpaw's sleep was pierced by nightmares, and in the long waking hours with the moon high above her, guilt overtook her. All she could think was, <em>It's all my fault, it's all my fault. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!<em> When finally - by some miracle sent by StarClan, it seemed - the sun peeked above the horizon, Dustpaw still refused to speak to her. Instead, he laid down as far away as possible from her in the little den and stared moodily off into space. RiverClan had apparently decided they were too helpless to warrant a guard, and Sandpaw spent her time just staring hollowly out at the camp.

After awhile - a bit before sunhigh - she noticed that Mosspaw, the apprentice whom had alerted another patrol during their battle, was surrounded by the other apprentices: Heavypaw and two others.

"Wow, I can't believe you let a _ThunderClan_ cat beat you," mocked a dark gray she-cat. "Pathetic!" The little tortoiseshell's head was bowed, not even responding to the taunts, as if she were used to this kind of abuse.

"I agree, Shadepaw," a silver she-cat nodded sagely. "What a useless furball!"

"Yes, you ran off to mama while _I_ was fighting," Heavypaw sneered. Mosspaw flinched at this statement, which was apparently more cutting to her than the othesr.

_What a bunch of mouse-brains!_ Sandpaw thought. She rose stiffly to her paws, ignoring Dustpaw's surprised look, and figured there wasn't any rule that she shouldn't leave the den. She strode over to the group of apprentices and retorted, "I may have beaten her, but _she's_ the one who went to get help. You should be thanking her that she gave you somebody else to try out your lame teasing on."

Mosspaw stared at Sandpaw in utter shock, while Shadepaw hissed, "Aren't you supposed to be in your den, _prisoner?_"

Sandpaw lifted in her chin. "Oh yeah? Who said?"

As she spoke, a familiar brown tabby strode up to the group. Mosspaw jumped to her paws and cried out, "Sedgecreek!"

Sedgecreek dipped her head and growled sharply, "Shadepaw! Heavypaw! Silverpaw! To the elders' den. I'm sure they have ticks to take care of." The group mumbled under their breaths but did as they were told, glaring mutinously back at Sandpaw. Sedgecreek turned to her and meowed, "I appreciate you standing up for my apprentice. You really shouldn't be roaming around, though. What's your name, anyway?"

"Sandpaw," she mumbled.

"Sandpaw. Well, I never did figure out why you attacked us." Sedgecreek gazed at the ThunderClan apprentice, her blue eyes friendly and curious.

"Because - because Oakheart killed my father. Redtail." Sandpaw faltered at the beginning, but then ended her sentence with a fiery glare.

Sedgecreek cocked her head in confusion. "That isn't what happened. In the battle, Oakheart was buried beneath a rockslide. Then we were forced to retreat. I don't know what happened to Redtail, but he wasn't killed by Oakheart."


	4. Chapter 4

Sandpaw reluctantly polished off a fish. It was her and Dustpaw's third day in the RiverClan camp, and she had to eat something, no matter how disgusting that something happened to be. Her leaf-green eyes strayed to the RiverClan cats assembling in the clearing. By now, she knew most of their names.

The purpose of this Clan meeting was to send a patrol to ThunderClan and inform them of their apprentices' predicament... and negotiate for the pair's safe return. Sandpaw's ears flattened as the meeting went on, and the four cats on the patrol were chosen: Leopardfur, Beetlenose, Sedgecreek, and Silverpaw. Mom must be going wild, Sandpaw fretted. First Dad, now me... she must be sick with worry.

"Hey," Dustpaw mewed. Sandpaw glanced back at him; he had started speaking to her again, but he kept his sentences short, the tone dull. Sandpaw couldn't blame him. After all, she was the one who'd gotten them into this mess, rushing over to declare vengeance on Redtail...

...whom apparently hadn't been killed by Oakheart. It's simple, then, she thought. Some other RiverClan cat killed him. Tigerclaw must have been mistaken. Her claws curled into the earth, tearing at the soil. Which means they're still my enemies.

"H...Hi," came a soft, shy mew. Sandpaw looked up to see Mosspaw trotting toward her, her sleek tortoiseshell-and-white pelt gleaming in the sunlight. "I... I just..." the younger apprentice stammered, then finished, "I wanted to thank you for defending me the other day. I thought ThunderClan apprentices would be frog-brains... but you're not."

"Well, I thought all RiverClan cats would be mouse-brains, and guess what? They are!" Sandpaw replied. Mosspaw looked stunned, but Sandpaw smiled, shouldering the surprised RiverClan apprentice. "I was joking. Well, mostly. Some of you are okay."

Mosspaw smiled weakly and went on quietly, "Heavypaw, Shadepaw, and Silverpaw are all siblings. But I was an only kit. And... my parents died last leaf-bare." Her eyes closed briefly, as though she were sucking all the pain that had leaked out in her last sentence, back into her.

Sandpaw felt a pang of sympathy for the RiverClan cat. She still couldn't believe that her father was gone, but she couldn't evenimagine what it would be like if she lost Brindleface, too.

"Mine, too." To Sandpaw's surprise, it was Dustpaw, keeping his expression carefully neutral.

Mosspaw blinked sympathetically at him, with the nod of one sufferer to another. "I'm younger than the others," she added. "So... sometimes they pick on me."

"What mouse-brains," Sandpaw muttered. Then she realized Mosspaw could answer a question that had been gnawing on her. Forcing herself to swallow her pride, she asked, quickly and (she hoped) almost tonelessly, "What do you think will happen when they visit ThunderClan? What will they ask for?"

Mosspaw sighed, her amber gaze dropping to her paws. "I don't know. Prey, maybe. But now that they've got you... they'll want something back, for sure."

Hours passed, long, nearly unbearable hours, during which the two ThunderClan apprentices huddled together in the sea of fishy-smelling RiverClan cats. Sandpaw felt homesickness creeping in on her like vines of ivy; the RiverClan camp seemed strange and forbidding, and at least half of the Clan kept shooting her hostile glares.

Finally the patrol returned, heads held high and eyes narrowed. Sandpaw's heart began to pound as they assembled in the center of the camp. What happened? What?

Crookedstar leaped up to RiverClan's meeting-place, which was called - apparently - the Tallwillow. The water-loving Clan gathered quickly beneath the spindly willow tree, buzzing with excitement over news about their hostages. Sandoaw's ears strained forward, drinking in every word, and Dustpaw looked just as keen.

"We met a ThunderClan patrol near the steppingstones," Leopardfur began. "Apparently, it was a search party for the missing apprentices." She shot a glare at the pair, which they both effectively ignored. "We almost came to blows, but in the end we managed to negotiate. Beetlenose?" She dipped her head to the big black tom.

He stepped up with a nod and continued, "In the end, we agreed to two pieces of prey for every day they've burdened us."

"Barely enough to cover what they've eaten," sniffed an old gray elder Sandpaw had come to know as Graypool.

"They refused to eat fish for the first few days," Sedgecreek purred, eyes glittering mischieviously.

Sandpaw's first thought was What? and then several swear words, accompanied by digging her claws into the ground. Her second thought was (after the sudden burst of outrage had subsided) I'm going to be in so much trouble. She glanced desperately at Dustpaw and hissed, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

He nodded, his eyes glinting with determination. "We need to escape."

Sandpaw's eyes swept across the camp, searching for an escape route. "But Sandpaw..." The camp was totally surrounded by water; in fact, her captors had had to drag she and Dustpaw across a swift channel of water, deeper than she could stand, to take her into camp. "Didn't you do this the day we got here?" She gauged the width of the channel, wondering if she could jump it. "Hey, mousebreath!"

Sandpaw's head snapped up, but it wasn't Dustpaw this time. It was Shadepaw, her accusatory yellow eyes inches from Sandpaw's face.

"You're one to talk," Sandpaw snapped hotly, anger already surging up inside her.

Dustpaw put in his two whiskers' worth, amber eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ever smell your own breath, fish-eater?"

Shadepaw let out a low growl, her muscles tensing, but then she struggled to regain composure. "Well, your Clan will never come for a pair of frog-brained kits like you," she leered.

Sandpaw crouched, every muscle straining to leap forward and tear this insolent foxheart to shreds.

Shadepaw continued, "You're not even worth the prey we demanded. We should ha - "

Enough is enough! As if they were one, Sandpaw and Dustpaw sprang at once, claws out and swinging. Sandpaw swiped Shadepaw's cheek; the dark gray apprentice snarled and hurled herself forward, tail bushing out like a pinecone.

Sandpaw bit her tail, but the RiverClan apprentice slashed her side. Dustpaw battered at their enemy's shoulders. Shadepaw sliced open his nose. And suddenly they were a whirlwind of fur and claws, screeching and yowling as they scuffled on the muddy earth.

"ENOUGH!" It was Beetlenose. The big black warrior towered over them, amber eyes flashing angrily, long claws curved into the ground. The apprentices started, and Shadepaw scrambled out of Sandpaw's grasp, crouching with a furious spit on the damp ground.

"Back to the prisoner den. Now," Beetlenose growled. "Shadepaw, you are not to go near them again. Blackclaw and Whiteclaw, guard them!" He beckoned over two sturdy, broad-shouldered toms, one smoky black and the other dark gray.

Sandpaw's heart sank. If there was the tiniest chance they could escape before the scuffle, it was now gone.

The days passed slowly, agonizingly slowly, as guard after guard (they eventually let the number fall back to one) took their place in front of the dismal little den that was their prison. Sandpaw was becoming accustomed to RiverClan scent clogging her nostrils, the feel of slimy fish in her mouth. There was the occasional visit from Mosspaw or Dawnkit (accompanied by Sedgecreek), but that did little to break up the days. She began to wonder if ThunderClan would ever reclaim their wayward apprentices, or if they were just going to be left there forever.

It was the third day after the patrol had went to inform ThunderClan that it happened.

It was just another humdrum day (and at humdrum, think totally miserable), when it happened. Sandpaw's head was on her paws, and Dustpaw's back lined up with hers - almost like old times, but there was still the shiver of tension between them, and Sandpaw suspected gloomily that there would be for quite some time. She was straining to see around their current guard, a dark brown tom named Loudbelly, whose bulk was filling almost the entire den entrance.

Then, all of a sudden, a piercing scream ripped through the quiet. "CROOKEDSTAR!" Shadepaw burst into the camp, panting, amber eyes wild. Sandpaw barely had time to enjoy the frantic look on her face before she burst out her next sentence: "ThunderClan is attacking!"


End file.
